


Brighter Sides to Life

by h_d



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-03-03 14:59:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2854985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/h_d/pseuds/h_d
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin's overabundance of Christmas cheer helps improve the strained relationship between Arthur and Uther.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brighter Sides to Life

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the square "mistletoe" of my holiday fic-tac-toe card for [Merlin Writers](merlin-writers.livejournal.com). 
> 
> Happy holidays, Merlin fandom!

Arthur looked at his watch. Merlin was late, and Arthur knew what that meant. Oh, dear God.

When he heard Merlin's key turn in the lock of their flat, he wanted to run away and hide. But he was stuck there, at the dining table, watching Uther's expression as it changed from mild interest in their conversation to extreme confusion, at the moment when Arthur's wayward husband entered the room. 

Arthur didn't want to look at Merlin. He covered his face with his palm. It was the only sign of annoyance he allowed himself. 

That was the worst part; he couldn't be honest at the moment. He and Merlin had agreed long ago that it was very important to always present a united front to Uther, who disapproved of their engagement so much that he threatened to disown Arthur. They didn't bother to invite him to their wedding, but shortly after it, Uther had stopped objecting (at least out loud). He had apparently realised that Arthur had already made his choice: it would always be Merlin. 

Arthur feared now that he'd never be comfortable with his father again. Uther was a difficult man, even aside from the homophobia. This was the first time in months he had been over for dinner, and they certainly wouldn't be spending Christmas with him next week. 

And then—

Uther started to laugh, and it wasn't his usual polite half-laugh, nor a mocking one. It was the infectious laugh that Arthur remembered from a time before all the threats and arguments. Uther's whole body shook with it, and he clutched his stomach and pointed at Merlin.

"You—what on Earth?" he asked, wiping at his eyes.

Arthur heard Merlin chuckling, too. He steeled himself and turned around slowly.

He noticed the balloons first, as he had expected to. How could anyone not notice those balloons? There were only three of them, but they were huge, as though ten normal-sized balloons had been cut apart and sewn back together and re-inflated. They were made of shiny red and green Mylar, which sparkled very distractingly. 

Then he looked lower, to the troublemaker he had married. He rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. Without his permission, a smile pulled on his lips.

Well, "troublemaker" was the wrong word, really. Merlin never did these things on purpose. His penchant for bringing balloons to social events made perfect sense; he was a genuinely happy and soft-hearted person, and Arthur loved him for it. But he could also be naively optimistic and hopelessly silly, even in the face of trouble. 

Even in the face of Uther.

"I just saw it in the shop, and I thought it might make things more merry tonight," he said, twirling in a circle. "After all, 'tis the season, you know."

Merlin was wearing a red elf costume with white fur trim. It sparkled, too; it probably had glitter woven right into the fabric, glitter which Arthur would be finding on his own skin and clothes from now until the end of time. The substance had such a permanence about it, and there were situations in which Arthur didn't want to sparkle, even if Merlin insisted that Arthur always sparkled. They had been through the glitter conversation many times.

Atop tight red trousers (if they were in fact trousers at all and not tights, the thought of which brought unexpected and inappropriate images to Arthur's mind), Merlin wore a red velour tunic cinched at the waist with a silver metallic rope. He was also wearing a short silver cape. 

He spun again when he saw that Arthur was watching him now instead of the balloons. The cape fluttered out in a perfect circle, as though Merlin had practised this move. He probably had, Arthur thought; that "I-just-saw-it-in-the-shop" line hadn't fooled Arthur at all.

Arthur stared at him, at a loss for words. He wanted to ask him why he couldn't have come home early like he'd told Arthur he would, in his everyday clothes, not in anything that glittered or twirled, and maybe, just maybe, without balloons. Merlin had known Uther was coming.

Far more than that, though, he wanted to cuddle Merlin close and promise again and again to protect him from all the ways in which life could be awful, although Arthur knew in truth that it was Merlin who protected him, in that way. Merlin had been through his own challenges in life; among other things, he'd been forcibly outed as a teen, which had led to severe bullying that he had never described to Arthur in full detail even now, ten years later. Yet Merlin had never given into cynicism. If it was true that Arthur sparkled, he knew it was only because of Merlin.

Arthur wanted to get up right now and dance with him to romantic Christmas music; he wanted to melt into Merlin's gentle embrace. He wanted to agree, next time they went out dancing, that Merlin could choose Arthur's clothes, that they could grind and kiss and grope right on the dance floor, just like Merlin always wanted to. 

"Arthur," Uther said, cutting into Arthur's thoughts. He was still laughing, a little. "I think he wants a kiss, and he's sporting more than enough holiday cheer to have earned it, if you ask me."

Arthur's mouth fell open in shock. Uther not only didn't mind if they kissed—he was encouraging it. But why? He didn't even understand what Uther was talking about until he looked properly at Merlin again.

Merlin was waggling his eyebrows and pointing at the enormous balloon directly above his head, which Arthur now noticed had a (glittery) mistletoe design.

"Go on," Uther said, nodding in Merlin's direction.

Arthur stood up and walked towards Merlin. The room took on the hazy quality of a dream, and he almost felt drunk, even though he'd been waiting for Merlin to arrive before opening any wine.

He wrapped his arms around Merlin and kissed him tenderly, parting his own lips just enough to take Merlin's upper lip between them and dart out his tongue to caress it in the way he knew Merlin loved. Merlin made a soft sound of pleasure, then pulled back and rested his forehead against Arthur's. 

"Do you like my costume?" Merlin asked, and Arthur could see the excitement shining in his eyes. "I hope so. I got you a matching Santa outfit."

"Of course you did," Arthur said, kissing him again.

Uther cleared his throat. "Yes, well," he said. "I had no idea your home was so festive. I would have at least worn one of my Christmas ties."

Arthur turned to him, shocked yet again. "You own Christmas ties? More than one? Plural?"

Uther narrowed his eyes. "I'm not so joyless as all that," he said.

"I suppose not," Arthur said, wonderingly.

"Let's eat. What did you make, Arthur? It smells good," Merlin said, letting go of the balloons, which floated to the ceiling. He headed for the swinging door of the kitchen and disappeared inside.

Arthur made a move to follow him so they could bring out the meal together, but Uther stopped him by holding up his hand.

"Wait," he said. "I...."

Arthur blinked at him. He was still wary of what Uther might say, even though he'd never seen him respond as favourably to Merlin as he had tonight.

"I didn't understand, before," Uther said. "I'm sure your holidays are much happier now than they were when you were a boy."

Arthur nodded hesitantly. That was true, but he didn't want to be led into some sort of rhetorical trap that would end in Uther trying to make him feel guilty.

"You can bring him to Christmas dinner, if you'd both like to come," Uther continued, looking hopeful, to Arthur's astonishment.

Arthur swallowed. "Thank you, Father," he said. "I appreciate that. He and I will talk it over. If we do come, though, I don't know if he'll prefer to wear a costume, a suit, or something else entirely. And I....well, I love him. I don't want to change anything about him."

"That's just as it should be," Uther said quietly. 

It was not an apology, but it was close enough for Arthur. He clapped a hand on Uther's shoulder, nodded at him, and walked to the kitchen.


End file.
